From Rome with Love

Week four: July 7 - July 15

The fourth week of being abroad was filled with emotion. I definitely met the best people of my life (so far), I lived my absolute best life, and I had the most fun I have ever had in my entire 19 years of living. Being with those people and sharing those wonderful adventures, will always hold a special place in my heart that nothing can replace.

Here's a look at what happened in my final week of bliss:

• I came to the conclusion that most of the food in Italy tastes the same and nothing like Italian food in America.

• I looked at my Snapchat memories and this time last year I had just moved into my freshman dorm and began the Summer Bridge Program.

• I reflected on how different my life was a year ago and how much I have grown and changed since then. Man, I am grateful for growth.

• I also received a lot of roommate messages and group messages this year which was a huge change since last year. This gives me hope that this fall will be interesting.

• For our last Mafia class excursion, we went to the Italian Senate and it was pretty interesting. After class, Niamh told me all about her past weekend trip to Tel Aviv, Israel. She astounds me at how fearless she is to travel the world. Niamh has been to 24 countries in her lifetime so far.

• Paris is Niamh's favorite city and she gave Sabria and I tips for what to do on our upcoming weekend in Paris.

• We went to a virtual reality experience called Circo Massimo (note: it was outdoors and of course a million degrees. At this point I was fed up with being hot all the time).

• Eli came over and made our apartment dinner, he even bought dessert for us (gelato of course).

• I always forget that I'm lactose intolerant (:

• We went to Karaoke Night at Scholar's Irish Pub and it was LITERALLY one of the best nights of my life (the video is on the blog) and I have never felt so alive. Before we even made it to the place, Sabria and I missed 2 buses and sprinted 6 blocks and we all took nighttime pictures at the Trevi Fountain.

• We took our Mafia final and I did pretty well on it.

• ashlyn alexander and I got in to a heated argument on cold pasta v cold tater tots (note: NOT pasta that is meant to be eaten cold ashlyn) and then we all went to our farewell lunch with the program coordinators and students.

• That Friday, Sabria and I packed up our bags and boarded our flight to paris- the other roomies headed to the Almalfi Coast.

• Once we landed, Sabria and I stowed our bags at our hotel (Izzy) and went shopping and hunting for food. We went to a McDonald's and they had WEDGES and brownies.

• After we ate, we went to check in and take a quick siesta. After we woke up, we got ready for our Seine River Dinner Cruise and went of to search for berets and souvenirs.

• We found berets! 3 for 10 Euro! I got purple, blue, and black. They are surprisingly lighter and cheaper than I thought. When we went to one of the stores, a French man complimented my purple beret and fixed it to be more French.

• The dinner cruise had salmon, veggies, a salad, and a fruit tart dessert. We got to see all the sights, and when it was over we took a bus to the Eiffel Tower. We took a million pictures and stayed to see it all lit up at night. (note: the sun didn't set until around 11 pm!)

• When we were at the Eiffel Tower we also ate pretzels the size of our heads.

• The metro system in Paris is also very simple, the food is really good, and the city is very modernized.

• I also kept speaking Italian instead of French (:

• That Saturday we went on the Big Bus Tour and it was wonderful! We started the day with complimentary breakfast in our hotel (Izzy). We saw all the sights: The Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, etc and it was all breathtaking. (tip: do the bus tours in the city that you visit! It cost about 35 Euro and we were able to use the pass all day and get on at any of the stops).

• I got to try a real chocolate beignet and a vanilla macaron the size of my head. For dinner, we ate some Asian food and then we got some midnight McFlurrys.

• Paris is a million stars and A+ in my book.

• Along the tour we learned that most of the stores on Champs de Elysses don't have price tags. Apparently in France, if you have to ask the price then you probably can't afford it.

• So little berets, so little time.

• There is also so much diversity in Paris from Africans, Asians, Turkish, and more.

• Paris is also the queen of saving energy from lights, to public transport, and anything else dealing with electricity. The buses literally turn off when they stop or at red lights to conserve energy.

• Paris is now my favorite city in the world. Especially all the pictures with Sabria's hair in them lol.

• Being in Europe was such a confidence builder- like if I can plan trips throughout Europe and navigate the streets of Paris, Rome, and Milan then I can do anything. Especially eating lunch alone at school and going places as a party of one.

• Ah, Sunday... This day was a panic attack infused nightmare. I didn't double-triple check my tickets like I thought I did, and I ended up booking my flight back to Rome for the 19th instead of the 14th. It cost me about $200 to change my flight and I spent 16 hours in the airport with only my notebook and games on my phone for entertainment. I thought that this would have been the perfect opportunity to find the love of my life, unfortunately, I sat in the airport alone and talked to no one. I also tried to take a nap in the airport McDonald's (yeah, I know) and did for about 4 hours. (tip: CHECK YOUR FLIGHT DETAILS CAREFULLY).

• After finding out about this faux pas, I slammed down my beret in frustration. I figured I would laugh about this one day (still waiting). I felt like I was having an "Unaccompanied Minors" moment without being a minor and it wasn't Christmas time.

• Thank God for Sabria staying up to wait for me, helping me find a bus home, and meeting me at the bus stop. Without her, I would have been completely lost and probably stranded. Another reason we'll probably be friends forever.

• When I finally got back to the apartment, all the roommates and the boys were waiting up for me and we had a good laugh. Then Eli insisted on belting out Ed Sheeran much to my, ashlyn's, and Colin's amusement.

• ashlyn and I didn't stay up all night like I planned (shocker).

• We shoved more things into our luggage, threw away the last of our food, and booked it to our shuttle. Once we arrived at the airport, after taking an earlier shuttle, Sabria only had 30 minutes. We got some last minute souvenirs and reminisced about our trip.

• I took the Ennegram test and discovered that I'm a type 2 and we said our last goodbyes.

• On my flight to Detroit, I got to see how the other side lives while I walked through 1st class.

• Summer 2019 was amazing and the anthems will forever be: Taki Taki, Perfect by Ed Sheeran, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the Pitch Perfect mashup of Just the Way You Are and I Want it That Way by the Backstreet Boys.

Author's note: I cried saying bye to everyone, and most of us had flights around 11 am so we all went to the airport together. It was very emotional. I told everyone how much they meant to me and how they changed my life for the better. I hope they all achieve what they set their minds to. These will be my lifelong friends and I will cherish the memories we made forever.

Ciao, Ciao, Ciao.